Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus with a high level of security, a method of controlling the information processing apparatus, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an information processing apparatus that is connected to a local network and a global network is known. On the local network, a plurality of apparatuses such as a server and an information processing apparatus are connected to each other in a limited area such as an office, and data communications are carried out between those apparatuses on the local network. On the global network, a plurality of devices such as a server and an information processing apparatus are connected to each other via the Internet, and data communications are carried out between those apparatuses on the global network. The devices on the global network have respective global IP addresses as network addresses for use in data communications, and the global IP addresses of the devices are open to the other devices present on the global network. For this reason, based on an open global IP address of an information processing apparatus, a malicious user may access the information processing apparatus without authorization and also remotely control the information processing apparatus without authorization. When an information processing apparatus is remotely controlled without authorization, for example, a variety of setting values for the information processing apparatus may be changed, or personal information which the information processing apparatus has may be viewed and/or changed. Namely, devices that are connected to the global network and carry out communications using global IP addresses carry out commutations with low levels of security.
There is known an information processing apparatus which, to cope with the above problem, sends a ping command, which is for determining whether or not it is possible to communicate with devices connected to a global network, to a server (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-219757). According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-219757, when there is a response from the server to the ping command, the information processing apparatus determines that it is connected to the global network and inhibits remote control from devices connected to the global network. On the other hand, when there is no response from the server to the ping command, the information processing apparatus determines that it is not likely to be connected to the global network and does not inhibit remote control from other devices.
However, servers configured by default not to make a response to the ping command are lately increasing in number. Thus, when there is no response to the ping command, it cannot always be said that an information processing apparatus is not likely to be connected to a global network. Namely, if whether or not an information processing apparatus is connected to a global network is determined based on only the presence or absence of a response to the ping command, it may be erroneously determined that the information processing apparatus determines is not likely to be connected to the global network. As a result, remote control from other devices is not inhibited, and it is thus impossible to prevent a malicious user from accessing the information processing apparatus without authorization.